Godspeed You! Black Emperor (commonly abbreviated to “Godspeed” or “GY!BE”) is a Canadian post-rock ensemble from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The outfit is notable for solid, long, borderline symphonic works of suspenseful instrumental rock and has thus far released 4 LPs and one major EP. For those unfamiliar to the genre of post-rock music, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-rock

Anyways, Godspeed are masters at creating intense soundscapes that ambush your feelcells with aural firepower. Their long drawn out pieces of music often average 20 minutes in length and consist of movements within tracks reminiscent of classical music. Their shortest album is still approximately 54 minutes in length, and all others are well over an hour, the longest being a 127 minute, 2-disc monster experience. Nearly all their music is instrumental, the only vocals coming from field recordings, samples, or off-takes. These samples are…strange, to say the least. Often involving eerie buzzing, maddening dialogues, or paranoid ramblings, there’s always a sense of uncomfortability when a sample is included. A typical tone for a Godspeed album sounds like the end of the world expressed through music, and the fact that they can do this so well over such long albums spanning a career without getting trite is pretty damn impressive. The music is often affiliated with experimental rock and incorporates drone and ambient elements as well.

This group will not be for everyone, I’ll tell you that now. Those who stick to conventional song structures and don’t have time to waste won’t take kindly to or pick up the emotion packed behind Godspeed’s music. Hell, I didn’t even “get” it til my 4th listen of a Godspeed disc, but once you do, shit’s fantastic. These long pieces need you to completely submerge yourself in them. It is indeed what I’d call “headphones at night” music. You have to just lay back, clear your thoughts, listen, and let the sound paint the scenery around you…….or rather I would if it wasn’t so damn harrowing half the time. Yes, Godspeed are great at expressing emotion in instrumental music, but people who don’t like sorrowed tunes will probably not enjoy a lot of this either.

Godspeed are also fairly controversial without ever having to say anything in their music. Their album art is pretty wacky. They were once arrested in Oklahoma while on tour due to suspicious behavior and bystanders assuming they were terrorists (they were later released innocent and have since been mostly close-lipped about the incident), and include dark live show projections to fit the already dismal shadowy mood. Another large aspect of Godspeed’s image is the “fuck the music industry” motif that courses through their mouths the few times they do speak. Being part of the indie Constellation record label, preferring to (but not to the point of limiting formats) release their music on vinyl, and often refusing interviews or photo shoots leave the notion of Godspeed’s “image” out of the picture for the most part.

…or it would if their music wasn’t so well backed by internet hipsters and music junkies and critics alike. Pitchfork ranked F♯ A♯ ∞ the 45th best of the top 100 albums of the 90’s. Chart magazine ranked that same record as #46 of the top 50 Canadian albums of all time. More recognition came with their follow-up, Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven which ranked 6th in Sputnikmusic.com’s “Best Albums of the 2000’s” list, 56th on RateYourMusic’s “Top Albums of All-Time” list, 16th in NME’s “Top 50 albums of the year (2000)” list, and Pitchfork yet again praised the group, coining the album as 65th best album of the decade. Rate Your Music also officially rated their EP Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada as the greatest EP of all time. Shortly following the release of 2002’s Yanqui U.X.O., Godspeed officially went on hiatus until their reformation in 2010. Just a week ago, they released their 4th studio LP titled ’Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! containing new studio recordings of old live-only tracks from 2003 in addition to two drone pieces. The band does indeed look to be back together for good now.

Speaking of the band themselves, the lineup tends to change from show to show, album to album, but I believe as of ’Allelujah!, the current lineup is:

Thierry Amar- bass guitar, double bass
David Bryant- guitar
Bruce Cawdron- drums, marimba, glockenspiel
Aidan Girt- drums, percussion
Karl Lemieux- live film projections, artwork
Efrim Menuck- guitar, keyboards, tape loops, mixing
Mike Moya- guitar, mixing
Mauro Pezzente- bass
Sophie Trudeau- violin

Their discography is as follows:
1997- F♯ A♯ ∞
1999- Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada
2000- Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
2002- Yanqui U.X.O.
2012- ’Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!

I want to say more, but spoiling that would spoil the initial impact. Godspeed is a fantastic band, and initially one of the groups that got me into instrumental music. When you have the time, sit down and give ‘em a good listen. You’ll enjoy something. Trust me.

Yatahaze, you have an excellent taste in music.

Fuck.yes.he.does.
What about A Silver Mt. Zion, though?

>>3
Haven't heard any Silver Mt. Zion or any of the other Godspeed member side-projects. I'll give em' a go at some point soon.

3rd song on Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antenna To Heaven, favorite ever.

Section 1 of "Storm" is the best imo. It's practically my wake-up song. There's just something about those triumphant trumpets that makes me want to kick ass the rest of the day.

In contrast, I've had nightmares where F♯ A♯ ∞ plays in my head and the imagery that comes up is the scariest shit ever dude, I just can't even describe.

I relate. Imagine an old house, a boom box playing the Static, and a groups of youth in hoodies with brooms wrapped in sheets, the lights are off and they are pretending to be bats fighting. It was a horrid and magical night. I've had many great times listening to Godspeed.

I literally almost piss myself every time the "Where are you going?" bit comes up during "Providence" God, that shit is terrifying.

Have you heard 'Allelujah yet?

yeah they are pretty awesome i'll say

OTB

digging gy!be a lot again lately
bumpitybump

badabump.

You know, it's kind of sad, but I feel like the most important thing I've ever done in my life for the betterment of my own personal growth as an individual to date May have been seeing these guys perform Mladic at the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta in October of 2012.

The way I describe it now is that there are still bits of my skull embedded in the carpet.

Wow, okay phone thanks for assuming I was talking about someone named May.

>>13
This sounds like yes.

I assume it was yes, yes?

Yes.

>>15 dude, so much yes.

Got my first vinyl the other day. It was Yanqui U.X.O.
The friend who gave it to me just assumed I had a record player since I'm such a pretentio- knowledgeable guy.

I don't. lol

New album Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress available to stream now, set for a release on the 31st.

"Piss Crowns Are Trebled" kicks ass.

>>18
Nothing else will exist for me for the next month and a half probably.

has anyone heard of the song love the way you lie (I recommend the piano version) its a beautiful song

>>18 a friend's trying to get me into this. It's important that we're listening to the same music. It'll probably work.

So I'm starting to like post rock more.
I initially assumed that with the exception of a few great bands, a lot of it is still a bunch of generic ambient shoegaze jam bands like God is an Astronaut and Explosions in the Sky. I still don't know if I'm wrong, but I guess I'll find out.

>>21
To be fair, a lot of it is generic ambient shoegaze jam bands, just as a lot of any genre is generic music of their respective genre. I personally never cared much for EITS either; I always thought they were super dull and overrated. Never listened to God is an Astronaut. You can kind of tell which bands are just generic whatever and which put more into their songwriting and production that make it more unique and well-written. Bands like...GY!BE.

as far as GY!BE goes, I'd say personally rank their releases as:
Slow Riot... > F#A#∞ > Lift Your Skinny Fists... > Allelujah!... >>>>>>>> Yanqui U.X.O. = Asunder, Sweet... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> most other post-rock

While some people dislike Slow Riot for its conciseness, I find all other GY!BE has moments where there's just not anything really happening, either because they're lost in the drone that doesn't exactly hook the listener, or because the compositions are too long for their own good. That's not to say they're bad - hell, even Asunder, Sweet... is like a 7/10 imo. But Slow Riot is just perfection. I'd recommend you start there with GY!BE. It's where I did, and I don't regret it.

I also think you'd like MONO's two golden albums You Are There and Hymn to the Immortal Wind. The latter is a concept album with an accompanying written story, and both are extremely intimate, cinematic, and downright impressive records. Whereas most post-rock is either too polished or too lo-fi/jammy, both of these were produced by Steve Albini, who found an amazing middle ground. They're just incredible, and the songwriting is hnnnnnnng. But I digress, this is the GY!BE thread, not a MONO thread (which we don't have and I'll probably make soon).

my point is start with Slow Riot and not the newest record.

also >>20 u fkn dum m8

>>22 alright, dude, Slow Riot it is.

And MONO is really being built up in my head. Internal hype usually kills, but I'm sure it won't be the case here.
I hope.

>>1 Thanks dude!

I've personally never heard of this group. Tried it and liked it so much

yeah, it's amazing band ^__^